Adjusting-buckle for garment-supporters.



A. V. BROWN.

ADJUSTING BUCKLE PoR GARMENT sUPPoBTBRs.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1912. 1,077,902. Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

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.ARNOLD V. BROWN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB, TO KABO CORSET GOMEANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

Application led .Tune 22, 1912. Serial No. 705,234.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ARNOLD V. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjusting-Buckles for Garment-Supporters, of which the following is a speciiication.

The present invention relates to a buckle or clasp used in connection with a garment supporter for the purpose of adjusting and controlling the length of the strap of said supporter.

The objects of the present invention are to arrange a buckle to which the fabric of the strap may be attached without any stitching or puncturing of said fabric; to provide a buckle which will automatically move to clamping position upon the fabric of the strap when strain is placed vupon the strap; to arrange the part-s of the buckle so that when strain is placed on the suspending strap the buckle portion is held from swinging out of normal position; and to provide a buckle which is cheap and simple of construction, and which will reduce the amount of material employed in manufacturing the suspending strap.

The invention furt-her consists in the features of construction and in the combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the buckle of the present invention in operative position; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a front elevation of the buckle with the webbing detached therefrom; Fig. 4, a vertical section of the parts shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a face view of a modified form, showing the same in operative position; and Fig. 6, a section of the parts shown in Fig. 5, with the movable portion of the buckle turned outward to permit the threading of the fabric.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1, the buckle as shown is employed with a suspending strap of a garment supporter. Said strap usually comprises an intermediate section 7 of elastic material, which is joined to an upper section of nonelastic material (not shown) by some suitable means; and the lower end of the section 7, as shown, is looped, and suspended from said loop is a ring or connection 8, to which is attached any suitable form of clasp used with such devices.

The buckle of the present invention is made in two sections, one of which may be termed the fixed sect-ion, and the other the movable section. The fixed section, designated by the numeral 9, consists of a platelike member which has its edges 10 bent to provide cam or wedge-shaped channels 11, one of said channels being provided upon each side of the plat-e. These channels are provided with a contracted portion 12 and an enlarged portion 13. The rear or back of the member 9 has integrally formed there with, or rigidly attached thereto, a U-shaped clip 14, which receives one free end of t-he elastic section. Said end is placed within said clip in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1 and is clenched in position by subjecting the clip to a swaging operation, bending the free end of the clip toward the body of the member 9. The fabric is brought over the upper edge of the clip and looped back upon itself as best shown in Fig. 1. By this arrange ment there is no direct strain upon that portion of the fabric held within the clip, the

`major portion of the strain being sustained by the edge of the clip. This better insures a practical and etlicient securance of the free end of the fabric in position, since it is obvious that danger of the free end pulling out of the clip would be increased were thek strain placed directly upon that portion of the fabric held by t-he clip.

The movable portion 15 of the buckle consists of a plate-like member provided with ears or extensions 16, which rest and slide within the channels 11. This member, as better shown in Figs. 1 and 4, has its ends bent inward toward the fabric, and, as illustrated, has the lower end 17 serrated. At a point intermediate the extremities of this member the body is bent inward as at 18 providing three points of contact between the movable portion and the webbing. As shown in Fig. 1, the fabric when threaded through the buckle lies between the back of the xed section and the inner face of the movable section, the ends and intermediate portion of said movable section bearing against the fabric.

Owing to the wedge or cam-shaped formation of the channel 11, the tension upon the fabric tending to draw it upward will draw the vmovable Vsection upward in the channel, thus augmenting the gripping ac is desired to move the fabric for Ythe pur-' pose of adjustment, this can be readily accomplished by forcing the movable section toward the lower end of the channel 11 and into the enlarged portion 13 thereof. This allows the barbed or serrated edge to move away from the fabric, whereby the fabric can be moved up or down as desired. In forcing the movable section to this position the upper 'bent edge of said section will serve as a finger-piece. After the adjustment has been made, a jpull `upon Vvthe Vfabric will. force ythe movable member in the direction of strain or upward in the channel 11, and into the contracted 'portion 12, where it will become wedged and forced into tight engagement with the fabric. The xed section 9 is cut out `as at 19 to permit a'threading of the fabric through the buckle. In the initial threading of the fabric through the buckle, shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the buck-le is forced into the enlarged portion 1'3 .and thence, by slightly pressing upon the upper edge of the movable section, the lower vor serrated edge can be moved away from the back of the fixed section, so that a space is provided at the cut-away portion 19, through which 'the fabric can be passed.

The form of buckle illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 corresponds in .all respects to the form 'shown in Figs. 1 to 4, save that in the form illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 the iovable member can be rocked or turned, as illustrated in Fig. '6, to permit a threading of the 'fabric or a movement of the fabric for adjust-ment purposes. This is produced by forming the ear or extension 16 narrower 'than the depth of the narrow portion A15 of the'channel 12. The same principle of construction, however, is main tained in both devices.

In the arrangement of the present invention, the fabric is secured to the fixed section without the use of stitching or pene trating prongs, which is an item of considerable importance, in view of the fact Vthat the webbing 7 is elastic and a penetration or severance of the elastic strands impairs the life of :the webbing. 4The webbing i-s threaded in a manner whereby none of the metal which may come Iin 'Contact with the body of the wearer is exposed, and but 'one turn lin the fabric is needed during the threading operation, ythus saving `the length of fabric which would be required to weave the free end through the o-rdinary slotted plate provided for the reception thereof. This results in a material decrease the cost of manufacture of the completed article.

Vstrain upon the fabric will move it automatil cally. By extending the upper end of the movable section above the upper end of the ,fixed section in the manner illustrated in F ig., 4, the buckle will be maintained in a straight line. This is an important feature, since it has been found that with the old style of buckle most commonly employed, a strain upon the fabric will tend to swing the upper end o-f the buckle inward, throwing the lower end out and placing the buckle out of alinement with the fabric, which is highly objectionable for various obvious reasons. This throwing of the buckle v'is due to the location of `the gripping point `of the buckle at the upper end thereof. In the present invention the tendency of .the buckle to move is overcome by locating the upper edge Aof the vmovable section above the -upper `edge `of the fixed section, where it will counteractfthe tendency -of the buckle to move and maintain it in a vstraight line with the fabric.

l claim: j

1. An adjusting buckle for .garment supporting straps comprising a fixed `.plate 'like member, the sides of said `member being 'bent to overlie the body portion .and form oppositely disposed wedge shaped channels, a movable plate like member, ears along the `sides of said -movable member adapted tor slide within said channels, the yinner lower edge of said fixed member being cut away to provide an opening for Vthe insertion of the fabric and said 'channels being widened beyond the ordinary width of the taper for a distance adjacent the lower end thereof whereby when said ears are resting in said `enlarged portion vthe entire body of said plate-'like member may be 'swung away `from the fabric about said ears as a center, .substantially as described.

'2. An adjusting buckle for garment supporting straps comprising a fixed Iplate like member, the sides kof said member being bent to overlie the body portion and forming oppositely disposed wedge shaped channels, a movable plate like member, ears along the sides of said movable member adapted to slide within said channels, the inner lower edge of "said fixed member 'being cu't away 'to provide an opening for the insertion of the fabric, said channels being widened beyond 'the natural width of VUche taper 'for a distance adjacent 'the lower end thereof whereby when said ears are resting in :said enlarged .portion the entire vbody Aor said plate-like member may be swung away from the fabric about said ears as a center and the upper end o-f said sliding member extending when said member is in clamped position above the upper edge of the rigidly secured member, land serving to maintain the buckle in alinement with the fabric, substantially as described.

3. An adjusting buckle for garment supporting straps, comprising a fixed plate like member, the sides of said member being bent to overlie the body thereof and provide wedge shaped channels extending along the sides thereof, a movable plate like member, ears on said member arranged to slide in said channels and said channels being en* larged to a depth greater than the normal depth of the taper and greater than the width of said ears for a distance adjacent its lower end whereby when said ears are lying in said enlarged portion, the movable section can be turned at right angles to the fixed section, substantially as described.'

et. An adjusting buckle for garment supporting straps comprising a fixed plate like member, the sides of said member being bent to overlie the body thereof, and provide wedge shaped channels extending along the sides thereof, a movable plate like member, ears on said member arranged to slide in said channels,said channels being enlarged to a depth beyond the natural depth of the taper and beyond the width of said ears for a distance adjacent its lower end, whereby when said ears are lying within said enlarged portion, the movable section can be turned at' right angles t0 the fixed section and the upper end of the sliding member extending when said member is in clamped position above the upper edge of the rigidly secured member and serving to maintain the buckle in alinement with the fabric,

substantially as described.

ARNOLD V. BROWN.

Witnesses: i

W. J. CAMPBELL, P. H. SAMUnLsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, ZD. C. 

